CLEVELAND, Ohio – More and more governmental entities nationwide are joining the "Ban the Box" movement.

"Ban the Box" refers to the box on a job application form that asks, "Have you ever been convicted of a crime?" In states and cities that have approved Ban the Box legislation, companies are prohibited from asking job applicants on initial applications if they have a criminal record.

Advocates for the laws say having to check the box prevents many ex-offenders from getting a fair shot at a job, NPR News reported.

Washington, D.C., resident Chearie Phelps-El, for example was released from prison about a year ago after serving five years for felony assault for fighting with two other women. The 51-year-old woman told NPR she applied for numerous jobs at local hotels, sports clubs and hair salons, but never received any return calls from those employers

Phelps-El said that's ironic, because in prison she received lots of training on how to re-enter society and become a productive, law-abiding citizen. She took classes on how to do her resume and apply for jobs, among other things. And now it seems like a waste.

"Just ban the box. Give us a chance to go in, have an interview, sell ourselves, let the person know who we are," she told NPR.

In Washington, D.C., which is considering Ban the Box legislation, an estimated 1 in 10 residents has a criminal record. Nationally, about 70 million people in the U.S. have been arrested or convicted of a crime. But many ex-cons get frustrated when they can't find work and return to a life of crime.

"About 50 percent of returning citizens do re-enter the criminal justice system," Ari Weisbard, deputy director of the D.C. Employment Justice Center, told NPR. "Anything that we can do to lower that is going to both be better for overall costs and lowering the costs of imprisoning all of these people, and, of course, better for the victims of those crimes."

Advocates of ban-the-box laws note sensitive jobs, like child care, are still protected under the laws. And they point out employers are not prevented from checking an applicant's criminal record. They just have to do it later on in the hiring process — in some cases after the employer has made a preliminary job offer.

Ohio Attorney General Mike Dewine encouraged passage of that law, but less than a year later, he realized it created a huge problem, WBNS-TV in Columbus reported.

"It scares me to death, and I don't like it," Dewine told WBNS.

Dewine told WBNS his office found 25 cases where people with crimes like rape, arson, burglary were told by their employer that they have no record. Some had applied for jobs in day care centers, nursing homes and even a school district.

"Frankly, I don't think any of us caught this. We should have caught this when it was going through the legislature," Dewine said to WBNS.

He said the law prevents the state from reporting some juvenile crimes like rape or adults who may be wanted.

"Unless there's been a conviction, I can't report it," Dewine said to WBNS.

He said until the law is changed, employers may want to rely on other background check databases to make sure they know who they're hiring.

Job finalists would still have to undergo background investigations and could be rejected for certain positions based on a criminal past. Cleveland has previously stated its willingness to give second chances, but the policy helps get around bias by managers involved in hiring.

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